Gazans Crossing Fence “Into IDF Positions”

IDF soldiers stationed along the border fence with Gaza say they have received new orders on opening fire, which allow Arabs in Gaza to endanger soldiers and Israeli civilians in nearby communities.

“Between 6:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. there are hundreds and possibly thousands of people roaming near the fence, including uniformed Hamas men,” a soldier told Channel 2. His identity was disguised to avoid trouble from the IDF.

“They crossed the fence several times and went into our forces’ positions and destroyed IDF property. The forces cannot push them away from the fence because they may not even fire in the air.”

A female soldier who is stationed near the fence also spoke to the TV channel, with her voice distorted to prevent identification.

“Let us say that the communities in the area are not safe now,” she said. “If some armed madman decides to cross the fence he can cross it. It endangers our soldiers because they are exposed along the fence. At any given moment, if they want, they can now fire an antitank weapon at them and hit them easily.”

Asked what her commanders say about the situation, she answered: “That these are orders from above and we can’t do anything about it.”

The reason for the new instructions is the ceasefire agreement reached with Hamas at the end of Operation Pillar of Defense.

The IDF responded by saying it has no intention of giving details regarding its operational activity.

Soldiers killed a suspected Gaza terrorist early Monday after he broke into a Jewish home and stabbed a girl before fleeing.

The IDF discovered a hole in the nearby Gaza security fence, and footprints from the area matched the shoes of the intruder, who had escaped to the Moshav Sde Avraham’s greenhouses after he tried to kill the girl.

Soldiers caught up with him and tried to arrest him, and then shot and killed him when he tried to escape.